St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-25
AN ANCIENT WITNESS.
THE HISTORIAN TABLET AND ITS
IMPORTANT RECORDS,

Christianity in Flourishing Condition
in China Over Twelve Centuries Ago.
The Church Obliterated SO Completely
that Only One Memorial of it Remains.
The Rev. Evan Bryant, missionary
to China, in a letter to the London
Christian World, describes visit to an
interesting memorial of Christian mis-
sions in that country over twelve centu-
ries ago. Writing from Tientsin he de-
scribes his search among ancient ruins
outside of the city.
1.-THE ground is rough with stones and
bricks and glazed tiles, the debris of old
buildings; and the whole is covered
with rank grass, tall thistles and a mot
ley crop of other weeds. Here is large,
prettily-carved pail, greatly resembling
huge font in some Western cathedral,
but whose use was once to hold golden and
| silvery fancy fish for the delectation of
Buddhist priests and their visitors at the
once fourishing Buddhist temple which
some time stood on these grounds. That
is interesting, but it is not what l want
to see. Yonder, to the north of US, there
are many high, broad, thick, black,
carved stone tablets resting on stone tor
toises; they are just in front of US; one
of them is incomplete, or broken-devpid
of its headpiece-can it be that that so
long to see? I rush toward it and soon
discover that its fallen headpiece is on
the ground at the foot of the slab-but
that is not the object of my search.
Once more | lift my eyes and look
around me, and move on to the several
tablets that stand yonder in row, like
so many soldiers at drill, and among
them, on my right | descry the sought
for object. There it is, marked enough
among its companions, as the religion
it silently witnesses for is marked
among all the religions of the world.
What is it? A stone-high, broad, thick,
and black, like, and yet not like, it's COM
rades; and on which is carved vast ar
ray of Chinese characters, and not few
characters of another tongue, which |
regret for the moment that | do not know.
1t is a stone-old, historical, instructive,
suggestive, heart-stirring, to the Christian
missionary at least, and, should think,
interesting to all Christians. 1t is stone
in which may be found sermons not
few, and lectures not modifying. 1t is
the famous HISTORIAN tablet which com
memorates the introduction into and
progress in China of Christianity by
HISTORIAN missionaries in the earlier CEN
turtles of our era. That is the object
have come to see, and for which l have
thus ardently searched-half afraid, at
last, of not being able to find it there.
"The stone faces the south, and is what
the natives call Using Shih, or granite.
1t was dug, like its companion stones,
from the hill which is situated little to
the south of the city. Its height is about
nine feet width three feet two inches and
its thickness about ten or eleven inches.
Its top is circular, and combination of
several incomplete figures, seemingly
dragons, forms wide border all around
the upper part of the stone to the depth
of about two feet. These incomplete
figures are carved out of the stone, and
not cut in it, like the inscription that is
on it. Within this figured border there
is smooth space, the lower part of
which is, roughly speaking, a square,
whose two sides are extended in a con-
cave curve till they meet above the
square. In the angle formed by the
meeting of these two curved lines there
is pretty little cross, whose horns are
of unequal length, and of few inches only
in extent, and cross at right angles.
These horns are formed of four lines
each, the upper and lower of which curve
outward a little toward their ends, and
are there Joined together by means of a
straight line drawn across them. At the
end of each horn of the cross there is
set of three small circles, apparently rep
resenting three balls or globes. The
whole figure forms pretty little picture,
which to the eye of the heather is meaning
less, but to the eye of the Christian how
different! 1t is only cross, neat, pretty,
and small; yet, the symbol of the great
est fact and mightiest force in the uni
verse, greater than which-nay, the equal
of which, is to US inconceivable.
Beneath that cross, and on the black
smooth space inclosed by the rough
looking dragons, are carved three rows
of three large Chinese characters. which
comprise the title of the tablet and may
be translated thus: "A stone commemo-
rative of the propagation in China of the
1llustrious Religion of Syria Under
meath this title, and covering nearly the
whole of the remainder of the stone, there
is an extensive inscription well carved
and well preserved, most of which is in
Chinese; though, at the bottom, there are
added few Syriac sentences, mingled
here and there with certain personal
names, chiefly of priests, in Chinese char
acters. On both sides of the stone, but not
on the back of it, there are more characters
chiefly Syriac; and many, il, not most of
them are illegible. On the stone it is
stated that it was "erected in the I'd
year of Kien Chung of the Tang dynasty
Il. e., A. D. 1917, Oh the 18th day of the LIST
month, being Sunday. Written by Lu
Siu-yen, secretary to council, formerly
military superintendent for Tai Chow;
while the Bishop Ning-Shu had the
charge of the congregations of the
Illustrious in the East This monu-
ment was discovered by a Roman Catholic
priest at ST Ngan in A. D. 1926 Its
authenticity was doubted at one time by
some, but both these questions have
long since been put to rest, and no
further room is left for doubt that it is
genuine and authentic record of the sue
cess of the HISTORIAN church in Shensi
and other parts of China"
The inscription gives a statement of
Christian belief, somewhat quantity
worded, and describes it's introduction
into China.
'In the time of the accomplished EN-
naror Tai Tcurr ;Il,,c+ ,rJ